Minogue Park netball courts set for resurfacing

Minogue Park, in Forest Lake, is the home to the Hamilton City Netball Centre, where the courts will be relaid using the Rebound Ace rubberised court surfacing product.

The $3M project is a partnership involving Hamilton City Council through its 10-Year Plan renewals programme, Hamilton City Netball Centre and Trust Waikato, and will also increase the number of useable courts at the site from 18 to 21.

In season, Hamilton City Netball Centre hosts 270 games per week played by more than 5000 participants – reflecting how important the courts are to the netball community. Other work included in the project will be the creation of a storage area for equipment, plus the refurbishment of toilets and changing rooms.

Maria Barrie, the Council’s Parks and Recreation Manager, says it’s is a highly anticipated project and the result of two years of planning and discussions between the Council’s staff and Hamilton City Netball Centre representatives.

“For projects of this kind, working with our stakeholders is vital,” Ms Barrie says.

“The Council has a key role to play in providing sports facilities for our community and being able to liaise directly with sporting bodies allows us to meet their needs as their codes grow.”

Trust Waikato, which sponsors the Hamilton City Netball Centre, is contributing financially to the project.

“Trust Waikato is pleased to support the resurfacing of the netball courts,” says CE Dennis Turton.

“They are a significant resource for thousands of people who use them every year and will also help to enable the Sport Waikato strategy of encouraging women and girls to get active.”

David Bluett, Chair of the Hamilton City Netball Centre welcomed the renovation of the courts.

“It means we have a modern facility to support grassroots netball in the greater Hamilton area,” Mr Bluett says. “We are very appreciative of the support from Trust Waikato to assist us to improve this long-term community asset.”

Mr Bluett says the board was excited to be able to offer the netball community a safe and modern playing surface and upgraded amenities to take netball into the future – particularly with an expected surge in popularity at junior level following the Silver Ferns 2019 Netball World Cup victory.

The netball community will be consulted on the two colour options available for the Rebound Ace surfaces – blue courts with green surrounds, or green courts with blue surrounds.

Work starts on 21 October, with the installation of new drainage, and the courts will be ready for use in March.